Q and A with Kevin Boss

The new tight end made his practice debut on Saturday. The Raiders didn’t practice on Sunday.

Q: Did you feel a connection between you and Hue, lot of talk about his energy, enthusiasm, did you feel it right away?

A: Yeah, the moment I met coach Jackson, I could just feel his energy and it was just exciting for me. Within moments of meeting him I felt on board with his ideas and, like he was saying, his passion for the game, just his energy, is just exciting to be around and just thrilled to be a part of it now.

Q: Watching Zach Miller situation and thinking this might be a fit?

A: Yeah, we knew it was a possibility. I was surprised that he did go to Seattle, but he had to make that decision that was the best for his family. When this door opened up, being a West Coast guy, I was excited about the opportunity and when they brought me and had the chance and talk with coach Jackson and coach Henry and have dinner with them, I felt like it was a no-brainer and I was really excited.

Q: Was anyone else an option after you left that day?

A: We had kind of narrowed it down to the Giants and Oakland here after I had left. Like I said, when I talked to Coach Henry and I made my visit, the whole organization just welcomed me in and opened their arms to me. I had a great visit and I was excited to get back here. Now I’m here and ready to get to work.

Q: Was having guys like Wisniewski and Woodson on staff attractive to you?

A: Absolutely. Coach Woodson was one of the first people I met when I arrived here. Being a fan of the game and watching the game growing up and watching guys like Rod Woodson play I was excited to meet him. It was fun to be here. I was in New York with Coach Waufle and had a great relationship with him. He was actually the first person to call me and talk to me about the opportunity here. I was excited to come and see him again and just be a part of this great organization.

Q: Did you learn a lot these last three years after making it so fast to Super Bowl as rookie?

A: Our team had a lot of success my first two years there. Winning a Super Bowl my rookie year, I was extremely blessed to be there in that position. Then we started the next year off I think we were 11-1. I kind of thought wow this is what the NFL is like, come here and just win. It was good for me. It gave me a lot of experience. We struggled a little bit the last couple of years not making the playoffs. I’m excited to come here and bring that experience to this team. We have a lot of young, great talent at all positions. It’s going to be fun to come here and help contribute.

Q: How is hip, all healed?

A: Hip is 100 percent. Just had a minor scope back in January after the season. I did a lot of rehab. My whole offseason was kind of focused around rehabbing my hip and getting ready for the season. I’m 100 percent now.

Q: You’re full go right now?

A; Yes, absolutely.

Q: You played again Jason Campbell, what do you know about him as a QB?

A: Yeah, just watching him play in Washington and the success that he had. He and Chris Cooley, I was always watching that. I know he likes using his tight end and it’s one of the things that excited me about coming here to play with him.

Q: What was your perception of the Raiders before you came here?

Q: You know, being a West coast guy I always grew up keeping an eye on them being closer to them, they were always on TV. It’s a great organization, you know, a lot of the Hall of Famers have played here and left their mark here. I’m thrilled to be a part of it now.

Q: How do you see yourself as a weapon in this offense?

Q: I think one of my biggest assets is being a pass catcher so I’m going to do whatever they ask me to do in terms of lining up in different positions. It’s going to be fun, you know, Zach Miller had a lot of success here and I am hoping to continue that success at this position.

Q: Talk about your impact as a blocker, blocking for McFadden and Bush?

Q: It’s exciting. Whenever you have two backs like that that you’re blocking for, it makes it exciting. You want to spring that key block that puts them in the end zone. It’s going to be a lot of fun to have those two backs. When I was in New York we had a couple good backs with Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs. It’s going to be fun.

Q: Coming out of high school were you recruited by Pac-10 schools?

A: Not really. I was the same height but I was about 200 pounds. Went to Western Oregon, had the opportunity to play football and basketball there. Had a great time there.

Q: Did you leave the area after your visit with the Raiders or have you been here the whole time?

A: I went back to New York and then flew back the following day. I’ve been in the airplane a lot. Excited just to be here for the next month and get to work.